


Red Nosed; Shield Handed

by eurosthewanderer



Series: The Family From The Cupboard [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, The poor kid, Under the Influence of Horcruxes, Well Here's Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 11:51:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13880283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eurosthewanderer/pseuds/eurosthewanderer
Summary: Inconsequential moments in the life of Harry Potter.





	Red Nosed; Shield Handed

_Some people are born both._

 

"How?" Harry rubbed his nose. "That doesn't make sense."

 

_There are many ways._

 

"Could they still do magic?"

 

_Yes. Why wouldn't they be able to?_

 

"Ok then."

 

Harry kept rubbing his nose.

 

_Keep doing that and it's going to turn red._

 

"How'd you know that?"

 

_Because mine always did._

* * *

Dudley likes using his head as target practice.

Hurling blue block after blue lego block under the formally blue haired teacher's blind eye. Or green lego block after green lego block under her back, when Jack starts crying and she goes to fuss over him. Or yellow lego block after yellow lego block, when Morag-who’s almost a grup too-presses her nose to the window during recess and gets told off.   

 

_Protego Maximus._

 

"Protego Maximus." Harry whispered and flinches as a white block bounces off his ear.  

 

_Think of what it feels like to be wrapped in your blanket in bed. Now imagine that blanket is a shell. Like one of those beetles on the wall._

 

Harry tries and tries again.

 

 _Like a bubble_.

 

And again.

 

_Like you’re in the center of a bouncy ball and nothing can touch you._

 

The twelfth try sees a lego person sting his nose. He scrunches up his eyes, a sob welling within his chest.

Dudley is laughing as he picks up Luke Skywalker.  

 

_A shield._

Harry sniffles. 

_Sir Mordred’s shield, honey. Raised up over his head to block Excaliber’s blow._

 

Luke Skywalker bounces back to smack a gawking Dudley in the knee. Harry feels his relief wash over him and wipes his eyes.  

“When’m I gonna learn ‘hat in school, Mum?” 

 

_I didn’t learn protego in school. Eileen taught me. You remember your godfather?_

Harry nodded quickly, blinding turning the page of his picture book.

_She was his Mum._

 

“Was she a witch too?” Harry asked, tracing his finger over the Hulder’s tail on his page.

_Yes, a potion maker by trade._

 

“Did she go to Howar’s ?” Harry’s finger followed the cow tail up the drawings back to rub over her bright yellow hair.

_Oh, no, darling._

* * *

Harry Potter picks open the tape under the cover of darkness. Four neat pieces he sticks up onto his lightbulb. 

 

Then he slowly folded back the paper, listening all the while to Uncle Vernon swear, drunk, at his least favorite news anchor.  

 

_Well then._

 

Harry scrunches up his nose as he reads the golden print through the light of his golden grate. The picture promises carvings of knights and queen, less beautiful than Harry imagined in their distorted faces. Glossy knights atop their oversized horses and weak white kings with warrior, fat-cheeked queens.     

 

_Look at that!_

 

"This isn't checkers." Harry blinks in confusion.

 

_No, sweetie._

 

He, slowly so not to disrupt the pieces and end Uncle Vernon's latest welfare rant, turns the box over. 

 

_It's chess._

* * *

 

 

For Harry's tenth birthday he gets the Iron Man comic, which he actually never finishes.

 

Tony stark has a brother.

 

Dudley thinks it's amazing.

 

_There were three brothers that cheated death in the days when magic was young._

 

Piers thinks Steve is Tony's true brother and Harry insists he keeps the comic book.

 

_They met over a bridge across a great river._

 

Harry keeps the camera Piers gives him in exchange.

 

_Death felt cheated but he is a cunning fellow._

* * *

 

 

Aunt Marge was Uncle Vernon's sister and not really Harry's aunt. They were twins, like the two sisters in the third year that always wore the same clothes. 

 

Twins. 

 

Harry watched the two older girls, blond har swinging up and down and up in the see-saw. One was laughing, her eyes crinkled almost closed. The other's mouth was fallen open, as if she was asleep.

 

He was on the roof, arguing with his mother.  

 

"But Aunt Marge and Uncle Vernon are identical!"

 

_Male and Female, Harry._

 

 

There was a pause.

 

_Oh._

 

"What?!"

 

_My brilliant, brilliant boy._

* * *

 

 

Harry moved much more slowly than his exuberant cousin. Rising from the dirt he learned a new word.

 

_I bet she brought that fucking dog with her._

 

There was a beat where all Harry heard was the crunch of glass beneath his shoes.

 

_Don't repeat that._

 

"Repeat what?" Harry shook the sweat from his eyes, grinning cheekily.

 

_What I just said, silly._

 

"You can't talk."

 

Harry felt the equivalent of a mental snort pulse through his skull.

 

"Boy!" Harry tensed at the bellow.

 

"Coming Uncle Vernon!"

 

Lily seethed.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The next one will probably be Harry as well. 
> 
> If any one catches the obscure Star Trek reference then you're amazing. 
> 
> I've got a lot of him written-none of it typed up.
> 
> I am in need of a beta so if you see anything let me know!
> 
> Come shout at me on Tumblr: eurosthewanderer.tumblr.com


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